Tray shelving



May 2, 1961 M. E. HANDLER ETAL TRAY SHELVING Filed June 20, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS. MILTON E. HANDLER RALPH J. BELLON TRAY SHELVING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1957 FIG? I INVENTORSZ MILTON E. HAN DLER RALPH J. BELLO ATT'Y ance with the drawings, in which:

nited States,

2,982,423 TRAY SHELVING' FiledJune 20, 1957, Ser. No. 666,962 3 Claims. (Cl. 211-136) I This invention relates to tray shelving, and more particularly to tray shelving which can be readily assembled area-t Patented May 2, 1961 Figure 3 is a view corresponding to the view of Figure 2, showing the shelf after it has been brought into proper angular relationship with the support for the shelf;

Figure 4 is a further view corresponding to the views of Figures 2 and 3, and showing the shelf in assembled condition;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 55 of Figure 1, and showing the relationship of a pair of end walls abuttingly received within slots formed in the support for the shelf;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 6-6 of Figure 1, and showing struts having a threeand disassembled and which has internal and external reinforcing means to assure stability and longevity under conditions of heavy use. 7

. Heretofore, tray shelving has been available which could be assembled and disassembled with relative ease, but this shelving. has been subject to the difficulty that the connection between the shelf structures and the supports has often required special care in adjustment, while, special under-supports have often been required for the shelves themselves.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tray shelving assembly, wherein the shelf structure can be readily inserted in the support elements in guided relationship without the necessity for accurate estimation ,of the relationship of the. parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide tray shelving as described, which can be readily assembled and disassembled without the, need for adjustment of parts.

:Another object of the invention is to, provide tray shelving as described, whereinthe shelving is substantially self-sustaining with respect to the upright supports therefor,'and is provided with means for connection with the supports effective against both stress and tension forces at a plurality of points.

\ Another object of the invention is to provide tray shelving, which in its Weight-bearing condition is even more securely lodged and supported with respect to the support elements therefor than within the non-weight-bearing condition, andwhich is proof against accidental misalignment of parts or warping. t

. Another object of the invention is to providetray. shelving as described, wherein the shelf itself is structuredto'overcome downward stress, and wherein end walls are. provided which both maintainarticles against movement outwardly of the shelf and afford additional reinforcing for the shelf. 1

. Another object of the invention is to provide end walls as described, having an inwardly configured reinforcing structure affording further strength in supporting articles placed on the shelf. i

p Another object of the invention is to provide tray shelving as described, and partitions for use therein which I -in themselves afford effective struts having a three-point stress relationship-with the shelf to'rigidify and solidify the shelf against stresses exerted-thereon;

Other objects and. advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, inacc'ord- Figure 1 isa-perspective} view of a shelf according to thepresent invention, in assembled conditiong vertical supports therefor upon introduction of;

point bearing and support relationship with the shelffor further reinforcing thereof and for compartmentation of the shelf; and

- Figure 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention showing the trays in cooperative relationship with rails, and having the trays and rails telescopically adjustable.

Referring now to Figure l, the shelf assembly according to the invention comprises a plurality of vertical support elements 12 which are preferably formed with a U-shaped cross sectional configuration for added strength. These supports are provided with a plurality of vertically spaced,

a set forth. -Each of the shelves is provided with end walls-such as theend walls 20 and 22 for the shelf or tray 16 andthe end walls 24 illustrated in Fig. 1 for the tray 18; and each of the end wallshas formed axially thereona pair of ears or lugs, suchas the ears 28 and 30, it being seen that the vertically spaced apertures 14. in the supports are sufiiciently' wide to receive the pair of end walls and their ears 28'and 30 therein in side-toside abutting relationship, the ears 28 and 30 being spaced apart a predetermined distance sufiicient to permit them to engage in immediately and vertically adjacent aper-; tures '14, as shown.

-The trays 16 and 18 are given. a dished configuration such that a rear wall 32 and 34 for each of the trays is adapted to rest in abutting relationship against the supports when the trays are in assembled condition as 1 shelves, such 'as the bottom walls 36 and 38, extends for,-

wardly a predetermined distance to provide a working Atthe forward end of the trays, the upstanding end walls such as 20, 22 or 24 are inclined along the forward edges 40 and 42 and are provided with a relatively reduced height. -In accordance with the over-all construction of the shelves, each member is a reinforcing member in itself; the top edges 44, 46, 48 and 50 of the respective end walls 20 through 24 are sloped and may be beaded or rolled. In order to strengthen the shelf structure further against lateral bending,- as well as to'provide a smooth edge surface, the rear edges 52 and 54 oftherear walls 32 and-34 are rolled or beaded, and theforward edges.

40 and 42, of the end walls are correspondingly rolled or.

beaded (as'indicated at 56 and 58). f r

Inyac'cordancewith'the invention, ea h of the cars 28 and 30 hasa depending locking extension designated by numbers 60 and 62, spaced from the rear edges of the respective end walls of the trays a distance substantially corresponding to the widthof the adjacent portion of the vertical supports I-lowever, in order that any possibility 'of sheeror tensionforces efiecting ripping of v the metal connection 64 between the ear-28 and the wall, 7

' 'with which it is formed be prevented, anupstand.

3: ing extension 66 isprovided on the ear 28 whosefunction will be hereinafter furtherdescribed. At the. same time, the depending element 60 is bevelled at its outer edge 68 for ease in inserting the ear 28 into the support.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 6-, a plurality of reinforcing struts, such as the struts 70 and' 72, may be removably inserted in perpendicular relationship to thebottom walls 36 and 38 of the trays and in spaced apart, parallel relationship to the side walls 20 through 24. These walls 70 and 72 cooperate with the side walls 20 and 22 in distributing forces exerted on the tray bottom wall 36 by materials placed thereon, in a manner hereinafter set forth. Each of the struts or reinforcing partitions 70 and 72 is provided at its forward end with a lug (such as the lugs 74 and 76) adapted to be received in complementary apertures-78and 80, and has formed at its rearward end an upstanding'lug 82 and 84 for engagement with the upstanding rear wall 32 in apertures 86 and 88corresponding apertures (such as' the apertures 90 and 92) being'provided at predetermined spaced intervals. Each of the apertures, such as the apertures 90 and 92, is of course formed opposite a corresponding forward aperture such as the apertures 94 and 96.

The manner of inserting the tray into supported position on the upright supports 12'rnay be seen by reference to Figures 2 through 4. First, the .car 28 is inserted into one of the apertures 14, with the upstanding extension 66 pointed at an angle parallel to the back wall of the tray. At such time, the beveled lower edge 68 of the car 28 permits the ear to pass freely over the lower edge of the aperture 14, as shown in Figure 2. Thereupon, the tray is pivoted inwardly'until the ears 28 and 30 are received behind the wall of the upright in whichof the lower extension 62 on the ear 30'so that it may be maintained in abutting engagement behind the support 12,as shown in Figure 4, when the tray is in theseated position.

Theear 28, therefore, provides'two"stress-resisting engagements with the support 12-one afiorde d'by the up st'andingear' extension 66,- and the other afforded by the depending ear extension 60-whereas in previously avail-' able'constructions thetray, if engaged in a key-and-slot relationship, tended to pull-away from theshelf' due to thetearing of one of the keys used therefor. The

present construction precludes any such possibility, by.

virtue of the double engagement of the ear 28 with the vertical support.- Because the ear 28 is spaced a predetermined distance above the ear 30, it will be appreciated that the car 30 in effect acts as a pivot point for forces tending to move the tray outwardly of the vertical support and accordingly, a greater degree of stress and tension is placed upon the ear 28 'thanis placed upon the ear 30. Thus, this double stress resistance afforded by the separate cars 66 and .60 is extremely advantageous in a construction as shown- On 'the other hand, the cars 30 when in engaged position (as seen in Figure'4) must resist primarily forcesof sheer exerted by the bottom edge of the aperture 14 in which it is placed so that;

if therelative height above the said bottom edge: of the.

aperture 14 is sufiiciently'great, there will be relatively little danger of tearingwith respect to this ear.

Referring again to Figurestl througho, the reinforcing struts 70 and 72 cooperate, as stated, .with the means, provided by the shelves 16 and 18 themselves as well as.

their "end walls 20" through 26 as hereinafter set forth.

Thus; eachof the struts 70' and- 72 affords a three-point stress relationship with the shelf to overcome forces which would tend to deform the shelf and which would warp its bottom wall 36 downwardly. Assuming a downward force on the wall 36, the upper rear portion of the strut, and in particular the tab 82 or 84, would engage with the wall 32; and at the same time, the lower rear interior portion of the strut (designated by numerals 94 and 96) would bear'against the wall 36. Thus, a soundly based upward force would be brought along the beam or strut itself to permit the tabs (such as the tabs 74 and 76) to exert upward force against the tendency of the tray to move" downwardly, and to bend. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the manner of connecting the individual partitions 70 and 72 into the tray may be varied, and for example, cars 82 and 84 could be formed within the tray itself, with their upstanding ends' -adapted to engage within slots in the bead 52. The stress relationships described would remain the same.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that each of the illustrated end walls 20 through 24 is preferably dished inwardly in order to strengthen the beam characteristic of the end Wall. That is,the end walls are configured so that one or more portions thereof is displaced laterally with respect to the plane defined by the end wall as a 'whole. In particular, this prevents warping of the end wall in response to stresses exerted thereon; and as a particular form of the dished or laterally displaced configuration, it is possible to have this displacement extend or occur at the innermost edge 98 (as shown in.

Figurel) so that in effect a shoulder is provided, adapted to abut the" support 'to be secured thereto. Thus, a shoulder formed by the lateral warping or displacement of the end Wall will permit a solid engagement, threedirnensionally, withthe vertical support to further stabilize the shelf structure.

Referring now to Figure 7, it will be seen that trays 106 may be used which are adapted to telescope, and that rails 100 may be used in conjunction with the trays, here shown in telescopic form also. The rails 100, which may be used for preventing bottles and the like from tumbling, and for holding such articles at a position above the bottoms of the trays, have their end extensions 102 configured to be inserted within the slots 14 in the manner described with respect to the end walls 20 through 24. Preferably, such end extensions are dished or provided with alaterally displaced configuration as at 104 for additional strength to stabilize the rails 100, as hereinbefore just described in conjunction with Fig, 1,

The telescoping-form of the shelving thus permits the trays to be adjusted to a predetermined alignment of the uprights without difificulty, and generally contributes to the ease of adjustment andassembly thereof, particularly where variations in shelf widths may be desired.

Accordingly, there has been provided a shelf construction which is easy to assemble and disassemble, the guide ears 28serving to guide the tray as a whole during the initial stages of insertion into the supports. After the car 28 has thus guided and aligned the tray relative to the supports, the ears 32 automatically will be in registration with their apertures immediately subjacent the apertures receiving the cars 28. Thus, the entire assembly will take place substantially automatically, and where a telescoping construction is used, as stated, any desired adjustment may be made without difliculty.

- Although we have herein set forth and described our invention with respect to certain principles and details thereof, it Willbe understood by those skilled in the art that these may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the hereunto appended claims. p

' We claim: a

1. A tray shelving structure comprising a plurality of v sectional configuration, the central portion thereof defining a plurality of axially aligned, evenly spaced slots of uniform dimensions, a tray having end walls each defining an upper ear and a lower ear in coplanar relationship therewith, said ears being spaced apart a distance substantially corresponding to the distance between said slots, each of said ears having a depending extension, said upper ear having an upwardly disposed extension, each of said slots having a width sufficient to receive therein two of said end walls and the ears thereof in abutting relationship whereby a plurality of sets of trays may be disposed at a given level on said supports, said tray having a rear wall coextensive therewith and adapted to abut said sup; ports when said ears are secured therein, said tray having a bottom wall at a predetermined oblique angle relative to said rear wall and having a front wall of reduced height relative to said rear wall, said end walls having a lower edge integral with said bottom wall and an upper edge bevelled with respect to said lower edge whereby to provide a substantial reinforcing element, and a strut having an outline complementary with said tray and substantially congruent with said end walls, said strut having a coplanar forward key and a coplanar rearward key, said front and rear walls defining slot means for receiving said keys and said rearward key having an upstanding extension adapted to engage behind said rear wall of said tray when said strut is inserted in said tray, said strut providing a three-point stress-resistance element for resisting downward pressure eifected by articles which may be placed on said tray.

2. A tray shelving structure comprising a plurality of upright supports having a substantially U-shaped cross sectional configuration, the central portion thereof defining a plurality of axially aligned, evenly spaced slots of uniform dimensions, a tray having end walls each defining an upper ear and a lower ear in co-planar relationship therewith, said ears being spaced apart a distance substantially corresponding to the distance between said slots, each of said slots having a width sufiicient to receive therein two of said end walls and the ears thereof in side by side abutting relationship whereby a plurality of sets a of trays may be disposed at a given level on said supports,

said tray having a rear wall coextensive therewith and adpated to abut said supports when said ears are secured therein, said tray having a bottom wall disposed at a predetermined angle to said rear wall and a front wall, said end walls, each having alower edge secured to said bottom wall and a rear edge to the rear wall to provide a substantial reinforcing element, and a partition strut having an outline complementary with said tray, said strut having a co-planar forward key and a coplanar rearward 6 key, said front and rear walls defining slot means for receiving said keys and said rearward key having an upstanding extension adapted to engage behindsaid rear wall of said tray when said strut is inserted in said tray, said strut providing a three-pointstress-resistance element for resisting downward pressure effected by articles which may be placed on said tray.

3. A tray shelving structure comprising a plurality of upright supports having a substantially U-shaped cross sectional configuration, the central portion thereof defining a plurality of axially aligned, evenly spaced slots of uniform dimensions, a tray having end walls each defining an upper ear and a lower ear in coplanar relationship therewith, said ears being spaced apart a distance substantially corresponding to the distance between said slots, each of said ears having an extension, said tray having a rear wall secured to the end walls and provided with a beaded reinforced upper edge between said end walls, said tray having a bottom wall disposed at a predetermined angle to said rear wall and having a front wall of reduced height relative to said rear wall, said end walls having a lower edge secured to said bottom wall to providea substantial reinforcing element, and a partition strut having an outline complementary with. the bottom and front walls of said tray and provided with a coplanar forward key and a coplanar rearward key, said front and rear walls defining slot means for receiving said keys and said rearward key having anupstanding extension adapted to engage behind said rear wall of said tray at said reinforced upper edge when said strut is inserted in said tray, said strut providing a three-point stress-resistance element for resisting downward pressure effected by articles which may be placed on said tray.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS Holroyd Mar. 12, 1957 

